The Firefly's Gift
by MidnightApparition
Summary: Pokemon and DNAngel crossover. After 2 long years, Misty is finally able to see her friends again. However, things turn out quite differently than she expected. Her past comes back to haunt her, and she reunites with an old friend she thought she'd lost.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Anyone who watches the anime or reads the manga D.N.Angel; I'm only using Dark, Krad, and Daiki in my story, so sorry if anyone was expecting Daisuke, Riku or anyone else. Plus, Daiki is going to be Dark's grandfather '

Some AAML, but not quite AAML

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The Firefly's Gift

Dark entered his house after another night of thieving. Tonight's target was the Amulet of the Abyss. It was a golden amulet with an eerie midnight-blue and azure gem in the center. Daiki stood up from the couch in front of the t.v. where he saw the whole thing on the news.

"Excellent job, Dark! It went much more smoothly this time." Dark shrugged and removed his black jacket. "It was way too easy," he remarked, "at this point, I don't think they're even trying anymore." Daiki observed the amulet closer and to his surprise, he found a small crack in the center of the gem. "This is strange..."

Dark noticed this and said, "Okay, I swear that wasn't me! It was like that when I found it."

Daiki looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, "Then how _did_ it happen? I'm sure someone at the museum would've noticed earlier-" He was cut off when another tiny piece of the gem chipped off. Suddenly, the amulet glowed a dark blue, which soon enveloped the room in a swirling void of blue. Gusts of wind blew around, sending Dark and Daiki flying a couple of feet back.

The wind persisted for a few more seconds, then just as suddenly as it appeared, the dark blue void was gone, and so was the amulet. The wind had died down and the room was left in a severely disheveled state with books and furniture scattered all over the place. Dark kicked an empty box off him. "What... the _hell_... was that?"

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_Misty was lying somewhere in the darkness. She didn't know what was going on, or how it happened. All she did know was that she felt extremely exhausted. Her arms and legs felt like three tons each. Before she closed her eyes to slip into unconsciousness, she heard an all too familiar voice in her head. "You're weak... You were always weak, so you wanted power. I'll give you power... but it'll come with a price. My legacy will live on in you... and you will be forever bound in darkness..." The voice in her head faded away. Misty wanted to ask something, but she was too tired to open her mouth. She closed her eyes, and soon, she wasn't aware of anything._

RRIIIIIINNNGG!!!! Misty woke with a start to the sound of that awful telephone ringing outside her room. Misty sat up in bed and frantically looked around. Thankfully, she was out of that dark void and in her own room in the Cerulean gym. Light poured in from the window, casting a golden pattern of light on her bed. It was a relief from that hell of darkness she'd been in. RRIIIIIIIINNNGG!!!! Misty looked at the clock which read 8:30 a.m. She groaned and buried her face in her hands. The phone kept ringing. _Go away_, she thought moodily. After a few more rings there was a moment of silence again. Misty waited in bed hoping it wouldn't ring again, but to her dismay, the accursed ringing came vibrating back through her ears.

Misty groaned in frustration and kicked the blanket off of her. She ran in to the dining room and picked up the phone. The screen turned on and Lily's face appeared. "What?!" Misty breathed angrily. Normally, she wasn't the type to get into morning moods, but the return of that dream made her very tense, and the rude awakening wasn't helping.

Lily blinked, taking in Misty's tousled hair, PJs, and very annoyed expression. "Geez, Misty, some gym leader you are. Like, what, did you _just _wake up or something? You know those hyperactive little challengers could come at, like, any time." Misty rolled her eyes. "Okay, so I overslept for one day. The trainers can wait until I open up the gym, can't they?" _Besides, it's not like I've been getting a lot of challengers lately, anyway._ After Misty had become gym leader, the Cerulean gym had been seeing more and more victories. Discouraged and impatient trainers probably moved on to other gyms.

Lily shook her head. "Whatever. You're so irresponsible."

Misty narrowed her eyes at her. "You're one to talk about being irresponsible, miss let's-leave-and-make-Misty-take-care-of-the-gym-while-we're-touring-the-world." She paused. "Oh, and would you mind asking your boyfriend if he would like his underwear back?" Lily's face turned a deep shade of red, and before she could say anything about boyfriends to her, Misty changed the subject. "Anyway, what do you want?" Daisy suddenly came in from the side, pushing Lily out of sight.

"Good morning, Misty!" Daisy was in her usual, cheerful self. "We just wanted to tell you that we've finished touring the world- which was _totally_ amazing, by the way- and we're coming home first thing tomorrow morning! Unfortunately, we're also not going to be having any more tours or anything like that for a while, so we'll be staying home for the time being." Misty understood what Daisy was saying.

"So, are you guys going to watch over the gym now?" She asked anxiously.

"Yup," Daisy chirped, "so, like, now you can go and see your boyfriend, Ash!" Misty laughed. "Do I have to tell you again? He's not my-"

"Don't even try to lie this time, Misty. We all know you like him. It's totally obvious. Just try to contain yourself until we get home, alright? Bye!" The screen went blank. Misty shook her head and hung up the phone. She smiled to herself. She would finally get to see her friends again. It had been, what, 2 years since she'd last seem them? She was only 14 when they separated and Ash continued on his journey.

She sensed something behind her and looked down at Politoed who had its head tilted curiously to the side, and some of her other pokemon that were awake. She smiled at all of them and told them the good news. They cheered happily for her. Misty laughed and went into the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.

Even though she was happy on the surface, she still felt a sense of dread deep down. She remembered the dream from this morning, and what it could have possibly meant. It had been a long time since she last had that dream, and now it just came out of nowhere. Misty shivered. She hoped that whatever it was, it wasn't too serious. She didn't want her life getting complicated again after things had just been straightened out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** After some thinking, I decided to use Daisuke as a character in later chapters, which means that he won't be transforming into Dark, and Dark won't be transforming into him. 'cuz have their own separate bodies. They're also brothers, BTW. However, the Niwa curse is still intact. I tweaked with a few things, which will be explained in later chaps.

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Chapter 2

The Lazuli City train station was less packed than usual that day, so Misty had no problem spotting her friends, Ash, Brock, May, and Max, seated on a bench next to a pillar. A smile lit up Misty's face. Daisy and Lily stumbled behind her.

"Hey, there they are!" Daisy exclaimed.

Misty's smile faded as quickly as it appeared. She had almost forgotten about them. She would've felt a bit more thrilled about seeing her friends again if her two sisters hadn't decided to tag along.

"What!? Why do I have to go with her?" Lily whined.

"_Because I want you two to stop all your incessant arguing! And what better way to do that than getting to know each other better- you know, a little sister bonding time. I'm totally sure you guys have at least_ one_ thing you have in common." Daisy replied. "And to make sure you do, I'll have to, like, come too."_

_Violet smiled. "Sweet. So, I get the gym to myself, then."_

_Misty resisted the urge to upchuck right then and there. 'Sister-bonding time?' It reminded Misty of several television shows she'd seen a while back where the doting, deluded parent would try to spend some 'quality time' with their lamenting children; except she had to do it with the uber-bitch. It was impossible, and obviously, her three sisters didn't get the idea that she wanted to spend time with her friends on her own._

"_What makes you think Ash and the others would want all of us hanging around them, anyway?" Misty grumbled._

"_Ash is a nice guy. I'm sure he'll let Lily and I come with. Besides, we'll only be sticking around for a week since we have gym duties, so it's not like we'll totally keep you away from spending the time you want with your friends." Daisy pointed out. Okay, so maybe Daisy knew._

_Lily clapped her hands excitedly. "And we'll be staying at the gorgeous Lazuli City! It's bound to be full of malls, clubs, and hot guys!" Daisy and Lily sighed dreamily._

Misty sighed grudgingly. "Fine."

When she had given her friends the call, they were at Lazuli City. She expected them to continue traveling on the road once she and her sisters arrived, but they told her that they would be staying at the city for about 3 months. Misty wasn't sure why. Ash told her it was a surprise.

And she couldn't wait to find out just what that surprise was. She called out to them and started running over. "Ash! Brock!" She ignored her sisters' yells to slow down. The group looked up in Misty's direction. May was the first to stand. She beamed, waving both her arms in the air. "Hey, Misty!"

As Misty approached, May stepped forward and gave her a big bear-hug, nearly squeezing the life out of her. "I'm sooo glad to see you again, Misty!"

Misty laughed into May's red bandana and hugged her back. "Nice to see you too, May... now let go, you're killing me..."

May let go and Misty was able to gaze around at all her friends. They'd all changed so much. Brock, May, and Max had gotten taller since she last saw them. How old were they now? Brock- 18, May- 13, Max- 10, and Ash- 15... It was Ash that, to her, had changed the most. Like the rest, he had gotten taller. He was at her height now- give or take an inch or two. His shoulders had gotten broader and his face lost its childish tinge- causing his russet-brown eyes to stand out vividly. He wasn't as lanky as he was when she last saw him.

Admittedly, she kind of liked the new changes, but at the same time, her exalted feminine pride left her a bit peeved that soon, she would be the shortest out of the three (her, Ash, and Brock). Somehow, it made her feel like the weaker link...

She quickly damned her childish pride. These were her friends for god's sake! She couldn't feel down for something so trivial...

She snapped out of her muse when Ash said, "It's great that you could come with us, Misty!"

Brock nodded. "Yeah, it's been a while."

At that moment, Daisy and Lily popped up behind them, gasping and panting.

"Hey... guys...like...what's up?" Daisy managed.

Ash, Brock, May, and Max looked from the blonde, to the pink-haired girl, then to Misty, asking for an explanation.

Misty exhaled in slight annoyance. Somehow, her sisters always managed to ruin everything for her.

"Well, it wasn't my idea. Daisy here," she inclined her head toward the blonde, "felt that Lily and I argued way too much for our own good, and that we all needed to spend some 'sister-time...' you know, get to know each other. I'm sorry, is this okay? They'll only be with us for about a week."

May and Max exchanged sympathetic smiles with each other, knowing exactly what she felt with respect to sibling dilemmas.

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Sure, it's alright. I'm sure family matters are really important to you guys."

Misty blinked. She couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or just stupid. She prayed it was the former. Physical changes were nice, but they wouldn't compensate if Ash was still as clueless as he was back then.

Lily scoffed. "Hardly. I just want to hang around Lazuli City for a while."

"_With_ the both of us, of course!" Daisy said over-enthusiastically.

The two slits that served as Brock's eyes transformed into hearts. "Oh, wow! This is wonderful! _The_ beautiful _and_ talented sensational sisters are staying with _me_ for a week," he ran and stopped right in front of them, holding one of their hands in his, "ladies, I assure you, you'll have nothing to regret coming out all this way, for I Brock, will surely-"

_WHAM!_

Misty conked him hard on the head with her fist and Brock fell face-first in the concrete. "Brock, if there's one thing they'll regret about coming here, it'll be _you_!"

Daisy and Lily made a face at the recumbent Brock, and Ash, May, and Max laughed nervously.

At the moment, Misty remembered the question she was longing to ask Ash.

"Hey, Ash," she said turning to him, "what was that surprise you talked to me about on the phone the other day?"

A grin lit up Ash's face. "Welll..." he drawled on in his boyish tone, "you really want to know?"

Misty rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yes, I really want to know. Now out with it, Ketchum!"

"You know I competed in the Sinnoh League, right? Well, after some intense training, ingenious strategies, and super-powerful attacks... I came out on top! I won the Sinnoh League championship!"

Misty's eyes widened. "Congratulations, Ash! That's awesome! You're hot-headed dedication finally paid off."

"And that's not all," Ash continued, maintaining that vivacious demeanor that sent Misty back to all their times together, "after checking my past records of pokémon gym battles, and battles in general, Lance and the rest of the Pokémon League Committee named me as the next Pokémon Master!"

Misty blinked, all his words sinking in. It was Daisy that acted first.

She squealed in delight and rushed forward, embracing Ash in a tight bear-hug.

"That's awesome, Ash! I knew you had it in you!"

"Nice job, Ketchum. Now if under the unlikely circumstances that Misty decides to get married, it'll be with someone rich." Lily remarked, smirking in Misty's direction.

Misty ignored her. "It's the best news I've ever heard in months, too!" Misty beamed proudly at him. "Congrats again, Ash. You deserve it."

Ash blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Aw, thanks."

Brock laughed. "You should've seen the look on Delia's face when she heard the news the morning we told her. She screamed loud enough for the entirety of Pallet Town to hear. They threw him a huge party."

"And speaking of parties, Lazuli City is the place where the whole Pokémon League Committee gathers for meetings and stuff like that," May added, "so they gave Ash and all of his friends- that's us," she gestured to all of them with her arms, "a three-month, all-expenses paid trip right here in Lazuli City!" May jumped up and down in delight. Misty, Daisy, and Lily just gaped at her. There really was not other way for them to express their shock at the news.

May wasn't finished yet. "We all get to stay at this huge mansion, too! And on the last week of the three-month period, we get to go to this formal party the league committee is throwing! All the Pokémon Masters, gym leaders in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Orange Islands will be there!"

This was a lot of good news to take in all at once for Misty. She would be spending 3 luxurious months in the city renowned for it's rich history and idyllic beauty. Misty could already feel that erstwhile tenseness from the day before fade from the corners of her mind. Plus, she would get to see all of the friends she had made, and maybe make some new ones. At this point, Daisy and Lily were much too awestruck to respond in any way.

"Hey, you guys wanna check out that mansion we're staying at?" Ash's voice seemed to echo from a different universe.

"Do you have to ask? Like, of course we do!" Daisy squealed.

Lily sighed in bliss. "This is awesome. We never got to stay at Lazuli City during our world trip. Hey, Daisy, can we extend our stay to maybe, like, one month?"

"Sure, but we'll have to tell Violet. Hm... if all the gym leaders are coming to that party, then we'll, like, get to see her again on that day."

Brock mumbled something vehemently off in the corner about seeing beautiful girls at the party.

And with that, the group departed the train station to see all the sights Lazuli had to offer.

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"Sir, I believe we've discovered something that requires your utmost attention," a nondescript male voice announced as he stumbled into the dark office.

The back of a big, black leather swivel chair spun around, revealing a teenager of about 18 with blond hair and stark, golden eyes.

The man stiffened. "K-Krad? I must speak to..."

"Mr. Hiwatari isn't here at the moment. He's at a meeting with the Leber Committee," Krad informed in a silky tone, quite uncommon for someone most people would have thought was at a much too young age.

"Just tell me whatever it is that is concerning you, and I'll relay it to him," Krad continued, leaning forward with his elbows perched on the desk- fingers laced.

The man gulped, knowing that it was best for Mr. Hiwatari to be informed first, but at the same time, fearing what Krad would do to him if he refused to give him the information. He decided to take a risk. "Well, you see, about 5 years, we discovered that intruders had intercepted our warehouse in Cerulean. How, you might ask? Through DNA samples of hair and clothes. Back then, we couldn't really put them to use since your family was short on money, but now with the successes of the Pokémon League Committee, we were able to obtain the necessary technological devices to apprehend the intruders' identities.

Krad leaned forward further. "And did you?"

The man nodded curtly. "And since you lived in Cerulean at that time, we were wondering if you could recognize them."

Krad stood up from his seat. "Show me."

The two men walked in silence to the laboratory. A man in a white lab coat looked up as the two walked in and stood from his seat.

"Anderson, show Mr. Hikari here the pictures of the intruders."

Mr. Anderson nodded and sat back down in his swivel chair. His fingers raced over the keyboard. The computer screen in front of him rolled down to reveal the faces of two very familiar elementary school kids- a female and male.

Krad's body stilled at the sight of the two. He gripped the back of the swivel chair.

"You know them?" The man asked, turning to Krad.

Krad nodded. "They went to the same elementary school as I did."

Mr. Anderson spoke up, "With the age progression feature, we can determine what they might look like presently; assuming they're still alive." Mr. Anderson typed a couple more things, and the screen rolled down to an age progression of the two after 6 years.

Krad memorized the faces and nodded. He stood up straight.

"Thank you, Anderson. Giles."

"Of course, this only tells us so much about two of the intruders," said the man (now identified as Giles), "there may be more intruders, or it could be that neither of these two are intruders, and that they were somehow framed. There are many possibilities. Besides, it is highly unlikely that these kids could have escaped that warehouse."

"If these two really were the intruders, then they probably could have." Krad said musingly.

"It will be very problematic if word of our plan leaks out to the higher authorities. I'm surprised it hasn't yet, if those kids really are alive. So what will we do now?"

Krad pointed at the screen. "I'll track him down and interrogate him," he regarded the male, "he, at least, I'll be able to find. And maybe through him, I can find out where _she_ is."

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**A/N:** W00t! There's chappie 2! I'm kinda disappointed with the first half. I really feel as though I could've done better with it... I'm really looking forward to writing about Misty's past, BTW, but I feel that won't happen for some time.

If anyone... ANYONE at all is interested so far, then please review! It'll be a very big help. I'm easily encouraged by any little review (except flames). Constructive criticism will be appreciated! If anyone wants some background info on the story, just check my account page. Thank you to anyone who's taking the time to read!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Warning- blood and gore near the end

I have yet to figure out all the functions of my Microsoft Word with because I'm having a bit of trouble with italicizing sentences that are separate from paragraphs, especially in songs or dialogue/flashbacks from the past. So, some sentences may be un-italicized when they should be. Everything that's italicized shows up on Word when I'm typing, but when I upload it and read it on the website, some sentences aren't. Mostly, the problems are at the beginning and/or end of a song or flashback.

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Chapter 3

They didn't stop at the mansion first like they had planned. Daisy and Lily easily fell victim to the spell of haute couture and often stopped to browse inside boutiques or buy whatever was "in" at the moment. After four pit stops, Ash and the others thought it best to do the same and enjoy the sights while they were there. Ash, May, Max, and Brock had only been there for 2 other days, which were mostly spent meeting the Pokémon League Committee and discussing Ash's new responsibilities as Pokémon Master. They had kept Ash late last night, and he had woken up early this morning to meet Misty and her sisters at the train station, so he was a bit tired.

But the idea of getting a good rest as opposed to forcing himself to stay awake was quickly shoved from his mind when he saw Misty again. He looked at her now and couldn't help but smile. It had been two years- maybe a little more- since he had last seen her, but it seemed as thought she had changed so much. The first thing he noted was her hair. She had it down today, which was something he had rarely seen, and even when she did let it down, he never really acknowledged it. He never really noticed before how perfectly it framed her face. Around her neck, he saw that she wore her favorite cascade necklace. She wore it everywhere she went. The second thing he noticed- or rather felt- was the aura that hung about her. She seemed much more self-controlled and benevolent than she was 2 years ago. If she were still her old self back at the train station, she would've given Brock more than just a whack on the head and little retort. She most likely would've punched him and sent him flying straight back to Pewter City. However, she still retained some of her forceful attitude. He had to admit; things weren't as lively without her around.

While Daisy and Lily roamed each store and attraction like hungry vultures, Misty and the others hung back near a fountain and talked about everything that happened over the past two years. Ash was glad to hear that the Cerulean Gym was beginning to rise into the higher ranks while Misty was gym leader. Last time he had gone to battle there, he wondered how her sisters had ever become gym leaders. They seemed too narcistic and lazy to care about battling.

By the time everyone finished talking, it was almost evening. Orange and pink hues dappled the horizon, draping a nostalgic curtain over Misty. She remembered sunsets like these Ash and Brock. It was so good to be back.

The group made their way to the corner of 32nd and Raconteur Avenue to meet up with Daisy and Lily. The two weren't in sight yet, so Misty and the others stood to wait for them. A cocktail store was nearby. There were several hoots and shouts escaping the slightly ajar door, and to everyone's surprise, the next things to come out of that door were Daisy and Lily themselves.

They carried shopping bags in their hands and were laughing raucously at something someone inside had said. To Misty's horror, their faces were flushed and their usually tidy, bouffant hair was disarrayed like they had been in a particularly deadly pillow fight.

"Ooh..." Max cringed. They began stumbling around each other, laughing wildly. _They didn't..._

"Hey! Daisy! Lily!" Misty snapped. The two girls looked up at Misty lazily.

"Oh, hi, Misty! Whatcha doin'?"

Daisy cocked her head to the side. "Hey, Misty, did you like, get into a fight or something? Your face looks all red and horrible-like."

Ash sniggered. Misty's face turned redder. "Shut up! It's not funny!"

"Oh, man, this is bad," Max groaned.

"Wonder why they were drinking..." May asked no one in particular.

_Other than to conform to the standards of pop culture society?_ Misty stood there, trying to calm herself down. She couldn't believe it. Daisy and Lily had gone out and wasted themselves. And on the first day here too! How were the next ninety days or so going to turn out? Misty tried to assure herself that they were just a little overexcited at getting to stay in this city. However, as she looked back at their drunken and oblivious gazes, it was difficult for her to resist the urge to seriously contort those pampered and over make-upped faces.

Brock laughed nervously. "Well, glad to see they enjoyed themselves, but they're going to attract a lot of attention on our way to the mansion. And it's about 10 blocks or so away from here."

Misty groaned. "Great..."

Somehow, the caravan reached the mansion without attracting too much unwanted attention. Daisy and Lily were brought to the kitchen for some water and to relax and cool down a bit.

While they sat at the table mumbling incomprehensible words to each other, Misty hung back with Ash to take a look at the mansion she would be staying in for the next three months.

The minute she had walked into the living room, she was greeted with surrealistic luxury. It was the kind of mansion celebrities or the rich would choose to live in.

The living room was a vast, cubic space with a high ceiling and expensive furniture lain on the sides. Expensive tapestries embroidered with glittering jewels lined the walls. In the center was a lush, red carpet underneath three leather sofas surrounding the sides. In the center of the carpet was a glass table bordered with dark-green marble.

There was a tall staircase that led to the bedrooms and bathrooms. To the left of the living room was a doorway that led to the kitchen and dining room. To the right of the living room was another doorway that led to a family room. There were probably many other rooms in this house Misty didn't know about yet. _Wonder how many bedrooms there are in this house? Bedrooms? Is there a gym? Yeah, there is. _She laughed at the thought of a secret lair of some sort existing in this house as well. _Why not? This house is definitely big enough to hold one of those._

The entire mansion itself sat atop a grassy hill in the outskirts if Lazuli City. There was a fountain out front. Everything was enclosed by a tall, black steel gate with an alarm system set. Misty had also seen about two or three other mansions like this one on the way here. _Do people need a lot of money to live in a town like this? _She wondered.

The highly engrossing glam didn't end there. Ash showed her the rooms everyone would be staying in. Misty's room was behind the last door at the end of a hallway. It was about twice the size of the average bedroom. Maybe about 2.5 times that of the average bedroom, actually.

There was a canopy bed straight ahead, complete with white, translucent fabrics draped between the posts. On the left was a mirror that overlooked a small vanity. Not too far from the vanity behind gauzy white curtains were glass doors that led to a balcony. The words, 'Romeo and Juliet' blared in Misty's mind. The balcony overlooked a patio.

It was a room fit for a princess. What was that supposed to say about her? Misty laughed aloud at such a ludicrous thought.

Ash smirked. "What's so funny? Do you like it?"

"Of course I like it! Everything just looks so pricey in this place." She tilted her head curiously. "Are most of the people who live in this city rich, or millionaires?"

"I don't think so. Along with these big mansions, I've seen several smaller houses. And I hear most of the things they're selling at the stores here are less expensive than they look. I guess it's just the appearance of the city that attracts those kinds of people."

"Wow... I can't wait to get a better look at the city."

Ash nodded. Misty looked over at Ash, who didn't look back at her. Now that she thought about it, he seemed, unusually reserved ever since they started their way to the mansion. Just earlier that day, he'd been yakking away about al the people he'd battled, pokémon he'd met, etc.

Ash's eyes flicked over to hers. He smiled briefly and looked away again. Was he nervous? About what? They way he was looking down with his hat covering his eyes made him look like a little boy who was just about to tell his mom that he had spilled a whole gallon of juice all over her clean kitchen floor.

Misty smiled coyly at his little modest posture. She couldn't resist irking him. Just a little.

"What's up, Ash? You seem so quiet all of a sudden. You're not keeping something from me, are you?"

"Wha-" Ash snapped out of his reverie. "Of course not! I'm not hiding anything from you! It's... I'm just thinking about something May told me earlier..."

Misty pouted. "Oh, is that it? You _have_ been awfully distant from me ever since we got here."

Ash's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to respond, but Misty cut him off with a sigh. "Don't worry, it's alright. I'll leave if that's what you want. It'll be one less girl to come in between you and May."

Ash started flailing his arms wildly. "No, it's not that! It's nothing like that! I _like_ having you around! We all do! We were all looking forward to seeing you! Me, especially!" He seemed to realize what that sounded like. "Wait, that is..."

Misty giggled at Ash's gullibility. "Ash, calm down. I was just kid-"

"I was just wondering... I wanted to ask you if... if your sisters aren't around... would you like to come with me for a walk around the city? Just us? Just a... friendly walk."

Now it was Misty's turn to stare at him with a similarly baffled expression. Ash finally stopped flailing his arms and locked onto her teal eyes with his soft, brown ones. He stared at her with a timid, but determined gaze.

She certainly didn't expect to hear this kind of question from Ash. Not that she ever _didn't_ want to hear it from Ash... Well maybe not specifically Ash. She would've liked to hear any guy she liked ask her. Wait... any guy _she liked?_ Did she just think that?

_Wait, I'm making too many assumptions. Maybe there are no implications behind Ash's asking me out for a "friendly walk." I mean, he's Ash, right? He's mostly got Pokémon battles on the brain. I've never seen him once think about dating girls. Dating... Oh geez, say something, he's staring at you! _Besides, with him, the words "friendly walk" were probably at the epitome of literal. _But still, who could miss that little shade of red on his face?_

"Sounds great. I'd love to." _Straight face, straight face! Don't look at him so suspiciously..._

Ash smiled. "Great."

"Mmhm."

An awkward silence hung in the air. Misty swore she heard the hands of some nonexistent clock tick the seconds by.

"Ah, ha ha..." Ash laughed nervously. "I'll just... I'll go check on your sister." Misty nodded. Ash turned and scurried downstairs.

Misty watched him jog into the kitchen before turning to go to her room. She swung the delicate fabric of the canopy bed aside before plopping onto the red covers. She sighed and laid her head down.

That awkward moment still resonated in her memory bank. _God, that was weird. Hope our walk doesn't turn out the same._ She sighed again. _That would really suck..._

Misty lifted her head up slightly. Her gaze fell onto an alarm clock on top of the nightstand. The alarm clock had a radio. She reached over to turn it on. She needed music to quell the fire-like anticipation that- if left unattended- would soon singe the little nerve fibers that helped to keep her sane. Even if it would be just a friendly walk, she looked forward to it.

_What a day._ She hadn't felt this happy ever since she left her friends and started working at the gym.

_The gym._ After the 3-month period was over, would she still be able to travel with her friends? Or could Daisy and Lily force her to go back to gym leader life after hearing about all its success stories? And because they were too lazy to take care of it themselves.

Before Misty's heart could sink, she immediately reprimanded herself for such negative thoughts. _Worry about it later. Have fun first. Think later, have fun first. Think later..._

Misty turned the dial of the radio. She stopped at a song she couldn't recognize, but whatever it was, she felt that the music could relax her into a dreamy reverie.

_Traveling I only stop at exits_

_Wondering if I'll stay_

_Young and restless_

_Living this way I stress less_

Misty wondered what the song was called. She felt as though she'd heard it before.

_I want to pull away when the dream dies_

_The pain sets it and I don't cry_

_I only feel gravity and I wonder why_

_Flames to dust_

_Lovers to friends_

_Why do all good things come to an end_

_Flames to dust_

_Lovers to friends_

_Why do all good things come to an end_

_Come to an end come to an_

_Why do all good things come to an end?_

Misty shifted her weight on the bed.

_Come to an end come to an_

_Why do all good things come to an end?_

_Well the dogs were whistling a new tune_

_Barking at the new moon_

_Hoping it would come soon so that they could_

_Dogs were whistling a new tune_

_Barking at the new moon_

_Hoping it would come soon so that they could_

_Die die die die_

Misty opened her eyes reluctantly as the chorus drifted into he rears.

Talk about bad timing...

That was exactly the kind of thing Misty was hoping _not_ to feel. Suddenly, the music turned from a pensive tune to a chilling premonition that prickled Misty's skin.

She groaned and flipped on her side. She wanted to believe that it was just a bad coincidence, but everything she had to live through in the past told her that it was best not to believe in those; that it was either her or the higher powers that controlled her life.

Yes, for her, coincidences ran parallel with the 'monsters in the closet,' or Bigfoot, or the Loch Ness Monster. It was just a myth that either existed or not depending on those who chose to believe them. Except for her, coincidences were most likely null and void. She either took control of her life, of someone else had to. Despite her ever-fluctuating and emotionally strenuous life, she preferred the former.

_And the sun was wondering if it should stay away for a day 'til the feeling went away_

_And the sky was falling on the clouds were dropping and_

_The rain forgot how to bring salvation_

Misty switched off the radio and traipsed downstairs. She heard Daisy's wild wail. Apparently, she and Lily weren't any closer to being sober than when they had come in.

Misty dared a peek into the kitchen. Daisy paced back and forth, commenting on the chrome cabinets and sink, something about fashion, and how great life was. Lily had her head down on the table. Her incessant groaning complemented Daisy's tirade. Misty didn't see Ash and Brock, but she found May and Max down on the floor picking up utensils that were strewn on the floor.

"What happened?"

May looked up. "Daisy went crazy all of a sudden and started throwing things around."

Misty blinked. She was surprised that she didn't hear any of it.

"Luckily, she didn't break anything."

Max snorted. "Yeah, if she did, it would've been on us. The Pokémon League Committee may be paying for our stay, but if we break anything in this house or cause too much trouble out in the city, the responsibility is on our shoulders."

Before Misty could ask, Max added, "Brock and Ash just left to get her shopping bags from her room. She promised she'd stop screaming if they got it for her." He shrugged.

Misty groaned. "What a mess. I'm so sorry about this..." Saying that made Misty feel like Daisy and Lily's babysitter. She didn't want it to be like that, but it _was_ mostly her fault that they had come along in the first place. She could've put up more of a fight, but part of her truly wanted to get along with her sister. She honestly didn't know why they argued so much in the first place.

Besides, she knew all about their free-spirited natures and how urban cities like these invoked their inner party girl.

As if reading her previous thoughts, Lily piped up, "Why the hell are you apologizing for us, Misty? What are you, our mom?" Her words slurred.

Misty blinked. "Well, someone has to apologize for all this since you obviously won't. You guys are going to cause everyone trouble at this rate."

"So-o-ry." Daisy lamented. Misty couldn't tell if she was teasing her or not.

"Daisy, don't give in like that!" Lily snapped. She was the slightest bit saner than her sister.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Lily, I'm not challenging you to a bitch-off, I'm just saying that you guys need to be more responsible while we're here."

Lily stood up angrily. May stepped forward. "H-hey, calm down!"

"Like hell I'm going to let anyone tell me what to do!" She shrieked.

"Lily-"

"You have some nerve trying to act like our mom, Misty!"

Misty's heart skipped a beat. _Oh. Shit. _She didn't like where this conversation was heading. Her mind scrambled to think of a counterattack against Lily's drunken tirade.

Her mind went blank.

"What do you know about mothers, anyway? I bet you don't even know your own!"

All eyes went in Misty's direction.

"What's she talking about?" May whimpered.

"Yeah, you guys all have the same mom," Max added, confused.

Misty rolled her eyes. "She's drunk. Everyone goes crazy when they're drunk. Lily's the type who gets desperate to get into an altercation when she's intoxicated." She struggled to maintain a stoic front against Lily's onslaught. It was the best thing she could think of to do at the moment. It was pointless to try and bicker with a drunk, especially Lily, when they weren't even in their right mind. It was best to just leave them alone. She just wished the drunken person in question could do the same.

Lily ignored her comment. "I bet she hated you, too. Why else would she send you to a place as far away as Cerulean City, anyway, just to get rid of you?"

Misty froze. Lily's icy words speared straight into her heart, making her blood run cold. She felt as thought she couldn't muster enough oxygen to move a muscle or utter a single word.

May and Max looked as stunned as she did. They looked back and forth between the two, not knowing who was telling the truth. Of course, one of them was drunk, but...

Lily opened her mouth to say something else, but Daisy embraced Lily suddenly, smothering whatever it was she was going to spit out at Misty.

"Ooooh... Lily, you're not s'posed to talk about that!" She scolded.

Misty gulped. She suddenly felt dizzy.

Ash and Brock came in with the shopping bags.

"Hey, Daisy, we got the... what's going on?" Brock's eyes swept over the scene.

Misty found her voice. "Nothing. Lily just needs to lay off the alcohol."  
She pushed through the numbness in her legs and turned and exited the kitchen. Ash and Brock looked back at her with puzzled expressions.

"I'm going to get some sleep," she called over her shoulder.

Misty ascended the staircase, cursing to herself for letting Lily put her down like that. Her head was spinning and her legs strained from keeping her from crumbing down into a lacerated mess. Her insides clenched from hearing Lily's awful words. She hadn't expected her to lash about Misty's mother. Misty knew that Lily had her bouts of coldness, but never- up until now- had she tried to exploit Misty's past in any of their arguments. The nerve... Lily didn't know anything. She didn't know about Misty's past. She didn't know about Misty's mother. Lily had either ignored her or spat scornful venom at her ever since Misty arrived in Cerulean City. Lily had no right to dig that makeshift information out in front of everyone.

Misty reached the top of the stairs. _'Yeah, you guys all have the same mom.'_ Max had said that.

It wasn't true.

Daisy, Lily, and Violet weren't her biological sisters. They were as far from it as the definition would allow. After Misty ran away from her original hometown and settled into the squalid little city of Cerulean, the Waterflower family took her into foster care. She couldn't really remember why they had been so generous.

What really worried her now was her reaction to Lily's words. Misty thought that she had gotten over that tragedy long ago, but what she had heard tonight proved her wrong. Her brittle heart had been pierced and old, repressed emotions flooded out, threatening to drown her in their tumultuous waves.

Misty went into her room and gently closed the door. No doubt the others would come up soon to check up on her. May and Max looked so suspicious of her now.

Misty pressed her back against the door and slid down to the floor. Her mind was muddled with anger, misery, confusion, and worst of all- guilt. Misty took slow breaths to keep the emotions from overwhelming her.

As if in emulation to the emotional thermometer, a hot, searing pain shot up Misty's spine and traveled to her right arm.

She gave a small yelp of pain. She clutched her arm and doubled over, her forehead to the floor. The physical pain was enormous. Everything that had been in her head during the last minute was forgotten as the wildfire burned and writhed inside of her. Misty struggled to slow her breathing through her clenched teeth. It felt as though the inferno was trying with all it's might to break through the body that confined it; only, it was impossible. All it did was cause her elevating pain.

Misty muttered a curse and rolled onto her back. The ceiling that had been stark white when she first came in the room seemed to have transmuted into vermilion.

She knew this pain. She had felt it before; back when she...

Misty suppressed a groan and clutched her scalding arm tighter when a random surge of pain erupted through it.

A dark, foreboding fear eclipsed her initial shock. Almost immediately, the pain began to recede. What would follow, however, was sure to be worse than some minute-long suffering. _Oh no... Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no..._

Misty squeezed her eyes shut. A chilling laugh that wasn't hers reverberated through her mind. It was faint at first, but crescendoed to something resembling a shriek. Misty held her breath and grit her teeth to suppress her own scream of realization.

_No...no...no...please, not her._ Misty exhaled audibly. She forced herself to open her eyes. She lifted her right arm slowly. Her heart raced with each second that passed.

No...

It was like a stone had been dropped into her stomach.

She gazed at her trembling arm; more specifically, the faded gray markings on her arm. She rotated it left and right to confirm it: a dragon mark that wound itself around her arm, from its tail at the middle of her upper arm to it's snout at the back of her hand.

Misty just lay there like a statue, staring at the mark- the mark that had plagued her childhood. The mark that had stirred up a frenzy in her neighborhood. The mark that had gotten her mother killed. The mark that was given to her by a certain spiteful- female- demon; the demon who started it all by taking over Misty's body.

Was Hotaru really back?

Misty didn't have time to ponder on that in her room any longer. The light gray mark on her arm was beginning to darken into black.

Her eyes widened and she leaped like a car back on her feet. She thought she heard her heart thumping in her chest.

If she did, that was a good thing. It meant that it was quiet. Her friends weren't making their way over to her room.

They wouldn't open the door- at least anytime soon- and see that she was gone. She needed to leave now. If she stayed any longer like this, she could hurt someone. It was especially worse since her emotional balance had been tipped by a certain pink-haired foster sister.

But still, they couldn't find out that she wasn't in her room, or they would panic.

Hastily, she pushed her pillows under the covers—the old pillow-under-the-blanket thing that only worked if no one pulled back the covers—and switched off her light. Without another thought, Misty leaped over the balcony adjacent to her room, landed squarely on her feet in the patio, and took off down the front yard, away from the mansion. With her enhanced strength as a side effect of Hotaru's possession, Misty easily hurdled the 15-foot high gate that guarded the mansion. Soon, she was greeted with vivid lights and the enticing smells of city night life.

Misty ran aimlessly through the city. The buildings, people, cars, and lights blurred past her. She didn't know how fast she was running, but she knew she was fast enough that she couldn't discern people's expressions as she passed by. However, she could tell that they were giving her strange looks. She couldn't blame them. If she saw someone running hysterically through the slow-paced throng of people, she would probably laugh.

Strangely enough, she didn't feel an ounce of fear, considering what was happening to her, and that what was happening to her could get someone killed. Misty only felt a dull, numbing sensation in her mind. She didn't dare feel anything else. But the way everyone around her either looked at her, parted to let her pass, or yelled at her for almost crashing into them; she couldn't help but feel an inkling of a familiar emotion resurface. Even though she couldn't blame them for it, that she knew that these people didn't know her, and that they kept away from her for reasons different than the ones that plagued her thoughts, Misty couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness strike through her. It made her feel like an outsider again.

Dammit.

She had to get out of here and fast. Before she knew it, the mass of people and cars thinned, and she found she could run a little faster. She was getting deeper into the city.

Eventually, Misty reached a nearly deserted part of the city. There were only about three people with her, and no vehicles coming as far as she could see. There were a few broken streetlamps around her. A few of the short-stacked buildings around her had their lights off. She was standing on a road that was so narrow and pitch-black that it was like she was standing atop an urban ravine.

Misty sighed and stopped running. This place was good enough. The three people she had seen earlier were gone and she was left alone. Most people wouldn't have wanted to stick around in such a foreboding place for long, but Misty did. The less people around, the better. She would try to relax and figure out what went wrong. She had no idea where she was or how to get back, but she didn't care. The chilly, night air was comforting for her. A cold breeze swept past and seemed to wrap its wispy, invisible tendrils around her and beckon her to the darkness that was her home.

_My home?_ Why did she just think that? Misty shuddered and flailed her arms out as if to ward the breeze away.

She slipped into a nearby alley. She planted her hands on the cool granite of the building and took a deep breath. She didn't understand how it happened. Normally, she could conjure up that mark and the powers it contained, but this time, it had come of its own accord. There were only two possible answers: either Hotaru had somehow come back from the realm that the exorcism banished her to, or Misty had completely lost control of her emotions. She thought back to the events in the kitchen. Sure, Lily's words had stung, but Misty couldn't have been that upset, could she? She knew she didn't feel any ravenous urges to rip Lily's body to bloody shreds.

So, did that mean... Misty groaned and banged her head against the wall. The impact caused little splinters of granite to fall off. Misty cursed.

Hotaru couldn't be back. How the hell _could_ she come back? Where was she banished to, anyway? And if she was back, what more could she possibly want from her?

'_My legacy will live on in you.'_

_Dammit!_

She slammed a fist into the wall, causing huge chunks to fall around her feet.

Almost simultaneously, a door to her left swung open. Misty stiffened. _Oh, shit._

"WOOHOO!" A male's voice resonated through the quiet alley. He charged out of the door like a bull and collided with the opposite wall. The door he came through swung shut. He was probably drunk.

Don't look this way, don't look this way...

"Hey, baby, whatcha doin' over there all by yourself?'

Double shit...

"Get lost," Misty seethed.

She wasn't looking up at him, but she knew he was approaching her by the thud of his boots. He was standing right next to her.

"Hmmm... you look a little lost there yourself." Then he whispered huskily into her ear, "I can help you out."

Misty shoved him away from her and turned to face him. Anger bubbled as she discerned a stupid, lecherous grin plastered on his face.

"I am not lost, so take your offer and shove it up your ass," she snapped. She pointed behind her. "Unless you want to end up like that wall over there, get the hell away from me."

His grin grew wider in challenge. "What wall?" Misty noticed that he wasn't even looking at the wall. He was talking to her chest. She felt a sudden urge to gouge out those crusty, yellow eyeballs of his. She shoved it aside. This is bad.

"Look, you-" she started, but was cut off when he suddenly lurched forward and wrapped an arm around her waist, slamming her body into his.

"You're one cute bitch." His face loomed above hers. "What's your name?"

Misty's heart raced. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. But not because of the contact or the heavy liquor in his breath. She could feel the anger and irritation rising through her like a whistling tea kettle.

Situations like these normally invoked fear in people, but for Misty, who could flip him on his ass with or without powers, this was just an annoyance. But she was being unnecessarily angry. She believed that filthy perverts like him deserved a good ass kicking, and she would love nothing more than to deliver it herself, but with her strength on the fritz, she feared that the results would be very fatal.

Involuntarily, Misty gripped his arm to steady her fluctuating anger.

Apparently, he got the wrong idea. It seemed impossible, but the grin on his face grew even wider. He chuckled. "Eager little thing. Alright, pucker up, sweetheart," he murmured, "or do you want to do it somewhere else? My place isn't far, you know."

That did it. Her last strand of sanity snapped. She tightened her grip on his arm with a vise-like edge. She squeezed until the guy's eyes bulged and he stepped back.

"Hey, what are you... Let go!" He cried out in blatant pain. Misty stared at him nonchalantly, as if she were watching one of her sisters' repetitive water shows. She wanted to keep squeezing until his arm fell off. She could practically feel his arm turning blue beneath her grasp. His body was off hers, and was squirming to get away. He had recovered from his drunken stupor. He sank to his knees.

"P-please, le-et... AAH... go! I'll... URGHH... l-leave you alone!"

That should've been enough. That was what Misty wanted him to do in the first place. She tried to let go of his arm. But she couldn't.

Some uncontrollable force in the far reaches of her soul clawed at her, exploiting her irrational irritation towards this man and urging her to show him no mercy. Misty could feel this force becoming more powerful. It was desperate to flex its own strength.

A feeble little voice of reason inside her head kept telling her to stop, and that this was enough.

The voice was smothered by her spite. Actually, she didn't know if it was even her spite anymore. She felt detached from her own body. She felt as though this entire situation was nothing but a dream.

Misty smiled nondescriptly at the man and loosened her grip. But before he had time to be relieved, Misty gripped again and yanked his arm clean from his body with one effortless pull.

The cool gray buildings and alley were dappled with splashes of black. The man opened his mouth to let out a horrific scream, but a split second later, Misty's hand wrapped around his throat, shoving down his outlet of pain.

He gagged and choked, still feeling the need to scream. Misty cocked her head to the side in amusement and threw his severed arm aside. Rivulets of sweat ran down his face and collected onto her hand. She almost didn't see the tears that joined them. She looked into his pleading eyes. A sliver of moonlight behind her illuminated them. This would be the last time those eyes shone with life.

Misty chuckled at his pain. "You should've run while you had the chance." This doesn't sound like me. Stop! "I don't give a shit if you were drunk or not. Now this 'cute bitch' is going to kill you."

With that, she braced her left hand down on his shoulder and with her right hand yanked in the opposite direction. His head came off with an ear-splitting CRUNCH! Blood showered his body and the pavement. Some of his spine trailed after the head Misty clutched in her right hand. His eyes were glazed over and lifeless- no longer lecherous. She shrugged and tossed the head and spine somewhere over her shoulder.

She smirked in satisfaction at the mutilated body before her. Touch me, huh? That's what you get for crossing me, bastard.

She pushed it away. It landed with a dull thud. Misty laughed lightly to herself and slumped against the wall with her arms crossed and watched the flower-shaped puddle of blood bloom from the gaping hole between his shoulders as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. It was moving ever so slowly. How cute. It almost seemed to have a life of its own, and it was trying to crawl away from the very person who had set it free.

Misty's smile faded. Reality slapped her in the face. Oh god. The anger that had burned inside of her vanished and was replaced by utter horror. Oh, god. Oh, god. God no. Misty clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming.

She felt dizzy. Trying to get past that body would only make her feel worse. Misty let her legs carry her to wherever they felt like going. She reached for the door the man had gone through and flung it open. She scurried inside. She didn't care about what she might walk into.

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**A/N:** I do not own the song or Pokémon

Song- All Good Things (Come to an End)

Artist- Nelly Furtado


End file.
